A Spencer man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he pleaded guilty to “deliberately” killing the mother of his two young children. The plea allows him to avoid the death penalty.

David Dean Nichols

David Dean Nichols Jr., 40, was charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 5 death of Jenna Flippo, 35, who was stabbed as many as 36 times with a screwdriver, prosecutors said.

“This was a very brutal crime,” Oklahoma County First Assistant District Attorney Scott Rowland said.

“Some of the wounds inflicted upon her were horrific.”

Prosecutors intended to seek the death penalty. Nichols agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison as part of a plea deal approved by the victim's family.

Prosecutors said Nichols stalked Flippo, whose body was found about 2:30 a.m. on the front lawn of her home at 2831 SW 63. Nichols was arrested about six hours later at a Del City convenience store.

“The defendant waited outside the victim's home … and when she came out he stabbed her between two and three dozen times with a screwdriver,” Rowland said.

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Tim Willert is a native Californian with Oklahoma ties who covers education. Prior to moving to Oklahoma in June 2011, he was as an editor for FOXSports.com in Century City, Calif., and reported on courts for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and...